Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2004

17-3027 Mechanical Engineering Technicians

Apply theory and principles of mechanical engineering to modify, develop, and test machinery and equipment under direction of engineering staff or physical scientists.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
46,990 2.4 % $21.66 $45,050 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $13.73 $16.84 $20.87 $25.97 $31.67
Annual Wage (2) $28,550 $35,030 $43,400 $54,020 $65,870

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Architectural and engineering services 9,690 $21.51 $44,740
Scientific research and development services 3,980 $21.62 $44,980
Electronic instrument manufacturing 3,470 $22.11 $45,980
Semiconductor and electronic component mfg. 2,050 $21.86 $45,470
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing 2,010 $21.30 $44,300

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Postal service 120 $30.15 $62,720
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing 60 $27.87 $57,980
Electronic markets and agents and brokers 50 $27.80 $57,820
Power generation and supply 340 $27.74 $57,690
Magnetic media manufacturing and reproducing 210 $26.72 $55,580

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Minnesota 2,320 $22.21 $46,200 0.089%
New Mexico 550 $25.03 $52,070 0.073%
New Hampshire 440 $20.02 $41,630 0.072%
South Carolina 1,260 $21.55 $44,820 0.071%
Ohio 3,650 $19.50 $40,570 0.069%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Delaware 150 $28.14 $58,520 0.037%
Washington 780 $25.76 $53,590 0.030%
New Mexico 550 $25.03 $52,070 0.073%
Hawaii 70 $23.99 $49,890 0.012%
Nevada 160 $23.57 $49,020 0.014%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Nashua, NH PMSA 230 $19.69 $40,960 0.235%
San Jose, CA PMSA 1,780 $24.52 $51,000 0.210%
Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV MSA 80 $19.61 $40,790 0.163%
Dayton-Springfield, OH MSA 640 $18.00 $37,430 0.143%
Huntsville, AL MSA 260 $21.70 $45,150 0.142%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Monmouth-Ocean, NJ PMSA (7) $31.80 $66,150 (7)
Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, WA MSA 30 $29.33 $61,000 0.037%
Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, MI MSA (7) $28.03 $58,300 (7)
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC MSA 160 $27.56 $57,330 0.024%
Wilmington-Newark, DE-MD PMSA 160 $27.44 $57,070 0.052%

About May 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) Estimates not released.

All Architecture and Engineering Occupations

May 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: June 02, 2005